Improvement in match-boxes



,sin

N- PETERS. PHO

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. B. & L. W. BEECHER.

` Match Box.

-No. 87,236. 'Patented Feb. 23. 1869.

N.PEYER5. PHOTO-UTHDGRAFHER, WASHINGTON D C v ,./w @mfg (-"l,

diluted 5 A i@ time time @time 'f' wie EBENEZER B. BEECHER'AND `LuciusWHEELER BEECHER, CE NEW .HA vEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters 'Patent No. 87,236, dated Februar/ry 23, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN MATCH-BOXES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it ma/ z/ concern:

Be it known that we, EBENEZER B. BEECHER and LUCIUs WHEELER BEECHER, ofthe city and county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufac ture ofWooden Boxes for Matches and similar purposes; and we`do hereby declarethat the following is a full and accurate description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to 'wooden boxes which have wooden sides of thinleaves ofwood, secured to a wooden bottom, the covers also being made ina similar manner.

' Such boxes have heretofore been made with the grain of the wood of thesides and rim of the cover running around the box circumferentially, andthe Agrain of the wood of the top and bottom-pieces running transverselyacross the box. v

The sides of such boxes are liable to split transversely, and separateinto two or more parts, and the rims of t'the covers are also liable tosplit olf ,from the top pieces.

The iirst part of our invention consists in making the top and bottompieces, the sides, 'and the rim of thel cover, with the grain of thewood running in the direction of the length of the box, that is,longitudinally, instead of circumferentially By this mode ofconstruction, a box is obtained that possesses the same kind of-security against splitting in two parts, transversely, as boxes madefrom the solid wood, and much less wood is required to make them.

We make our improved boxes either round or oval, of various styles.

We use, for the tops and bottoms, pieces sawed from sticks of wood thathave been cut with the grain, or nearly so, and turned or otherwiseshaped in the .form of a cylinder, round or oval; and for the sides-andrim o f the covers, thin leaves or veneers of wood, outcircumfereutially around a log. Such veneers are tough, and are not aptto split, and when applied with the grain running longitudinally withthe box, bend readily, to take the required form of the box.

.Our invention further consists in a slide-box, for matches or othersimilar purposes, the box being made as above described, but instead ofarmi-cover, the cover has attached to it a scoop or concave, conformingto the shape of the box, whether round or oval, in which the matches liein the box, and which permits the cover to be drawn' away iom the boxsufficiently to remove the matches without separating the cover entirelyfrom the box, thev concave or scoop remaining partially within the box,unlessentirely withdrawn, when, there being no end-piece to the scoop,the matches may be either left in the box, or taken out in the'slidingscoop.

Our invention further consists in a mode 'of making such boxes, wherebythe glue-joint between the sides and bottom-piece, nr between the topand rim, is Yjrevented from being unsightly by reason of exudation ofthe glue outside of the joint, and a good nish cheaply given to the topand bottom of the box when made of end-wood, with the grain of the sideslongitudinal with the boxes, as above' described.

This mode involves making at one operation a box and cover, or two boxesor-twocovers.

, It consists in making the bottom or end-piece twice as thick asrequired for the bottom of one box, and then gluing the veneer aroundit, sui'ering it to proj ect over both sides of the end-piece, and then,when dry, sawing transversely through the sides and bottom-piece, ahereinafter shown.

But more particularly to describe our invention, we will refer to theaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is aperspective view of anoval match-box.

Figure 2, cover of the same.

Figure 3, section through red lines x x, iig'. 1;

Figure 4, a section showing our improved mode of manufacture.

vFigures 5 and 6, sections further illustrating our improved mode ofmanufacture.

Figure 7, perspectiveview of the slide-box.

Figure 8, an end view of the same.

Figure 9, section, showing our improved modcof manufacture applied tothe slide-box.-

Inv making round or oval boxes with rim-covers, such as shown in iigs. 1and 2, we use a mould, or former, a, (iig. 4,) having an annular recess,a', to determine the projection of the inside piece b, which forms theneck'd, from the outside piece c and shoulder c of the box, to receivethe cover. 1

The inside piece bis ist wrapped-around the former a, and pushed intothe recess al', the grain of the wood being in the direction of thelength of the box, and the piece extending to the end of the former,the'joints abutting, as shownA at j, figs. l and 3. V

The outside piece c is then wrapped around the inside piece, and thecircular or oval piece of end-Wood, g, which is to contribute the topand 4bottom-piece of the finished box, introduced therein,las shown iniig. 4, the three pieces, b,' c,`and 'q, being secured together by hotglue, or suitable cement.

The grain of the outside piece, c, also runs with the length of the box,.and the joints abut, as shown ath, gs. l and 3.

When the glue has set sufciently, a fine saw is run transversely throughthe parts b, c, and g, in direction as shown by red line y y, fig. 4,which operation converts these I parts into a finished box and cover, asshown in gs. 1 and 2, the piece ghaving been divided into the top-piecei of the cover, and the bottom-piece .j of the box, and the outsidepieces c also divided, by the same operation, into the cover-rim K, andthe out side, m, o f the box, which also contains the inside piece 7:,with the neel: d and shoulder e.

It will be observed, that if the operations above described, are carriedon in'a workmanlike manner, the cover will always fit the neck ofthebox.

The piece g should be of end-wood, with the grain running in thedirection of the length of' the.l box.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of this mode of manufacture, by which twoboxes are produced at one operatom, by simply sawing across, the latteroperation also doubling the facility `of manufacture, by enabling theworkman to make two boxes or two covers,V or a box and cover at oneoperation.

The slide-box and its mode of manufacture areshown at figs. 7, 8, and 9.

The box is composed of a side-piece of veneer, fn, with the grainlengthwise of the box, and a bottom-piece, 1), of end-wood, theside-,piece having a lap-joint, g.

The slide is composed of a concave, or scoop, lr, of veneer, an end, ortop-piece, s, and a rim, t.

All the pieces composing the slide have the grain running lengthwise ofthe box, and the pieces of the box and the slide, respectively, aresecured by glue, or other suitable cement.

The slide and box are madeat one operation, as shown in fig. 9, bygluing one end of the piece u., which isl to form the concave, to thepiece w, from which the top and bottom are to be made, and then wrappingaround themthe piece w1, using the former, m2, as a mould.

The pieces fu, w, and lw,.having been glued, or ce mented together, andthe glue set, they are separated into a box and slide, by running a finesaw through them in the direction of the red line It will be obviousthat this mode of manufacture may be modiied, so as t'make either twoboxes with the lap-joint, o r two slides, having a scoop, end-piece, andrim, at one operation, by making the piece for the ends twice as thick,and the pieces for the sides, or scoops, or rim, twice as long asrequired for one, and then sawing through in the middle, as in themodifica tionof the mode of construction of the rim-cover box, shown infigs. 5 and 6. v

We claim as of our invention and improvement, in the manufacture ofwooden boxes for matches, and

other similar uses, which have sides made of veneers,

or thin leaves of woodl. A cylindrical, or oval box, with rim-cover, inwhich the grain of the veneers composing the sides, and the grain of thepieces composing the top and bottom, runs in the direction of the lengthof the box, substantially as described, whereby the box is protectedfrom splittingvtransvelsely, and has the capacity ofhaving a good.finish imparted to the ends, by the simple operation of sawing,substantially as set forth.

v2. A cylindrical, or oval slide-box, with a slide or scoop, constructedin the manner described, all 'the parts having the grain of the woodlengthwise with the box, substantially as and for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.b V

3. The method, herein described, of making :tbox and cover, or two boxesor two covers, with a goodv and cheap finish at the, ends, at oneoperation, by making the sides and end-pieces of wood, with the grainrunning lengthwise of the box, the side or rim-pieces twice as long, andthe end-pieces twice as thick as required for onepart, and then, whenthe glue or cement that 'unites them is set, sawing them apart,substantially as hereinbefore described.

EBENEZER B. BEEOHER.

L. WHEELER BEECHER.

Witnesses:

SUSAN B. Monms, HATTIE A. BARNES.

